"He also repeated accusations that the Church was "obsessed" with the issue of gay priests.

He said it should rather be focussing on global problems such as Aids.

"Our world is facing problems - poverty, HIV and Aids - a devastating pandemic, and conflict," said Archbishop Tutu, 76.

"God must be weeping looking at some of the atrocities that we commit against one another.

"In the face of all of that, our Church, especially the Anglican Church, at this time is almost obsessed with questions of human sexuality."

It struck me this evening at vespers how positive the message of the Church really is and how sad it is that this gets drowned out in the sort of frenzied face Christianity presents to the public in the West. Not that I think the Christianity should become some marxist political organization a la Latin American Catholicism - but is there something wrong when the issue that gets us excited and voting in droves is gay marriage?